CAPSULE STORAGE
AND MAINTENANCE AT STONY BROOK
The "A" and "C" Structures

Both A structures at Stony Brook
AFS stored nuclear weapons components (capsules) in pressurized M-102
“bird cages.” The "bird cage" structure was designed to
prevent the nuclear materials
from coming
in close proximity to each other, which might have initiated a chain
reaction.
Both A structures were considered hardened
structures, built with 10-foot thick concrete walls. For the windowless, above ground
structure, measuring approximately 42 feet by 53 feet (21.5 feet by 33 feet,
interior, of nine-foot height), a second story actually provided more
protection through its 17 feet of solid reinforced concrete. For the newer A structure at Stony Brook, the storage space for the capsules is
entirely bermed or below ground, with a false single story above ground
composed of solid reinforced concrete.
The A structures gave the appearance of
office buildings when viewed from a distance through the addition of
bands of paired false fenestration and a projecting entrance offset. The bermed A structure was less convincing in this regard from a near
perspective, due to the mounded earth and the resultant tunnel-like
extension of the offset on one facade.
One or more small guard houses or bunkers (“pill boxes”) were built in close
proximity to the newer building for security purposes. These “pill boxes” were common where
nuclear capsules were stored.
(Click on photos below to enlarge.)

This building is the older structure on
Stony Brook and was a massive above ground concrete structure 53 feet
wide, 41.5 feet deep and 28 feet above ground. It appears that the
building also sat on a concrete slab about 6 feet thick. It
contains 4 rooms, each about 10 feet wide, 12 feet 11 inches deep and 9
feet high. It was located in close proximity to the Plants 1 and 2 in
the Restricted Area.

Each room
had the capacity to store approximately 30 capsules in their storage
bins. These areas are accessed through bank-vault type doors with
dual combination locks. Each room contains 30 bins, each about 36 inches
across, to ensure “critical safe” separation of the capsules in their
"bird cages".

NEWER "A" STRUCTURE

This newer structure was built
closer to the Q-Area entrance than the older A Structure, and the upper
portion was a fake building made of solid concrete, approximately 55
feet wide, 41.5 feet deep and 10.5 above ground, with a further 1.5 feet
under ground acting as the top of the vault structures underneath.
This structure appears to be similar in design to the original building
except that the lower floor is buried in the ground. The lower entrance
led to a vault door that accessed a corridor with 2 doors on either
side. These were bank-type vault doors, not blast doors. The
four (4) vaults were each 10 feet wide, 12 feet 11 inches deep and 9
feet high. They were separated by 1 foot 6 inches of concrete with
the outer vault walls surrounded by 10 feet of solid concrete.
Therefore, these vaults were encased in solid concrete measuring 12 feet
on top, 10 feet on the bottom and 10 feet on each side. Each of
these vaults contained about seventy (70) - 30 inch bins [5 shelves x 7
bins on each side]. The bins in this structure were smaller than
the 36 inch ones in the older structure located in the Plant area.
The reduction in size resulted from a change in the composition of the
nuclear capsules, allowing them to be stored closer together without the
danger of initiating a chain reaction.

Newer building showing fake upper structure and pill box to the right.

Newer building showing fake upper structure and pill box to the right.

NUCLEAR CAPSULE MAINTENANCE

(The following section is based
upon the 45+ year-old memories of 332X0s, and therefore may not be
accurate in the details, but the overall concepts and procedures should
be correct.)

The 332X0 career field was established to provide personnel for the
important activities related to the maintenance of nuclear capsules in
the field. The duties of the 332X0 specialist were to inspect and
maintain the nuclear components of the capsule and the "pit" of the
weapons. The training of 332s was conducted at Lowry AFB in Denver,
Colorado and consisted of about four months of basic electricity and
electronics theory and 2 months of "SET" school. The technical training
involved studies in nuclear theory and instruction on the inspection,
maintenance, disassembly and assembly of the initiator and nuclear
capsule.

The
"C" Structure at Stony Brook

.

At most of the Atomic Energy
Commission storage sites, the nuclear capsules were stored in bank type
vaults with two combination locks. These vaults were located either in
separate parts of the Plant or in special buildings in the Plant area.
In order to enter these storage areas, two persons had to be present at
all times. Personnel would remove the “bird cages” from their storage
compartments in the "A" Structures and deliver them under tight security
to the "C" Structure. The "C" Structure on Stony Brook provided
equipment and space to perform all required maintenance operations on
the nuclear capsules used in the earlier nuclear weapons, such as the
MK6, MK15, MK17, MK21 and MK36. These early weapons also used
polonium-beryllium initiators to generate neutrons during the implosion
sequence. Polonium-210 has a half-life of approximately 138 days, so the
initiators had to be replaced periodically. These devices were
maintained according to precise quality control methods. Between 1954
and 1957 the initiators were replaced with a newer type which were
sealed and did not require routine replacement.

The nuclear capsule maintenance activities
were then conducted in the “C” Structures on Stony Brook. Before
opening the bird cage, the specialists put on protective gear - a
rubberized apron, respirator and latex gloves. The inspection and
maintenance steps followed were:

1.
The bird cage would be depressurized and the top removed.2.A
handling tool was then screwed into the base of the capsule support.3.
Capsule was removed from the bird cage and placed on a support ring.
4.
The capsule and support were visually inspected and cleaned using
Kimwipes and trichlor.
5.
After the inspection and cleaning, the capsule was returned to the bird
cage.
6.A
bag of dessicant was placed on top of the support, and the top was
replaced.
7.
The bird cage was then pressurized, and re-sealed.

After the
maintenance, cleaning and testing of the capsules was completed, the
capsules would then be transported back to the "A" Structure. All
personnel were checked for traces of radiation after this process had
been completed.

Another aspect of
the 332X0's duties and responsibilities involved dealing with "spalling".
As the nuclear capsules aged and went through temperature cycles, they
would begin to "spall". Spalling was a physical reaction that resulted
in small particles popping off the surface of the capsule, sometimes as
far as two feet. If the capsule was spalling, a transparent plastic
covering with two hand holds was placed over it. Even with this
precaution, radioactive particles would end up on the table or floor.
The cleanup of these particles was accomplished by wiping the area, or
sometimes even painting the affected area.

By the late 1950s, most of the capsules were enclosed in a cadmium
"can", and therefore did not require a complete inspection, just
verification of the pressurization within the bird cage.

By about 1960, the
nuclear capsules had been phased out of the stockpile and the
requirement for maintenance activities at the "C" Structure was
terminated. This phase-out was occasioned by the increased stockpiling
of the sealed-pit thermonuclear weapons, such as the MK28, the MK15 Mod
2, and others.

Inspection and
cleaning of the "pit" areas of the weapons were done in the Mechanical
Bay (M-Bay) using latex gloves, a flashlight, a mirror, Kimwipes and
trichlor. A visual inspection was conducted first with the flashlight
and mirror by looking through the IFI (In-flight Insertion) tube. The
pit was then wiped down with Kimwipes and trichlor. The most difficult
part of this procedure was trying to reach the back part of the pit.
With the MK6, the entire arm of the specialist was inside the pit, and
the specialist's head was pressed against the High Explosive (HE) sphere
and a detonator. In the MK15, MK17, MK21 and MK36, it was necessary to
reach through the IFI tube and clean the back of the pit using a toilet
brush wrapped with a Kimwipe.